Morning Rain
by mychemicalrelapse
Summary: Breaking Dawn cont. Jacob wants to tell Renesmee about the Imprint but Bella forbids it. Who is keeping secrets? Who will reveal them? Will Renesmee make the biggest mistake of her life? And will Jacob ever get his happily ever after?
1. Part One: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, just the plot.

A/N: This is a continuation of Breaking Dawn. If you haven't read it you won't know what's going on. This chapter and the next few are all in Jacob's POV but I'll be changing around a fair bit. Sorry if the first chapter is a bit boring becuase its a re-cap, but it will get more exciting soon. I promise ^_^

**Reviews are greatly appreciated. Cheers.**

PART ONE

~-~

JACOB

_Love is something eternal…_

_The aspect may change, but not the essence._

Vincent Van Gogh

**Chapter One: Ahh, don't you just love reminiscing?**

Most people would agree that fairy tales cannot come true. In real life there is no happily ever after. No princess waiting to be rescued from a monstrous troll. No evil witch to kill or dragon to slay. Those are just stories, right?

Wrong.

Okay, so there really aren't any hairy trolls lurking under bridges or zombies climbing out of graves; but there are some legends that are real. Werewolves. Vampires. And happy endings can happen…sort of.

Bella believes that she has had her happy ending. In a way, her life – both as human and vampire – was a prelude for my own. Even though I featured a lot in it, my own world only started to piece together as I thought her's was about to end.

I took one look at Renesmee and everything seemed to fall into place. Since the imprinting, my life has never been the same.

As Edward and Bella began to settle into a comfortable routine, I watched their daughter grow.

It was incredible, but not unexpected. She was half vampire, half human after all. By her second birthday she could have been toddling off to pre-school. Only the fact that Nessie had read Shakespeare's complete works stopped Bella from actually making her go.

Of course, the growth rate and intelligence was difficult for Bella to deal with. Still, I have to give her full credit for trying. She was very careful, never showing the anxiety; her face smoothed of all emotion. Most of the time, she kept it hidden from Edward; but becoming a vampire hadn't changed the fact that I could read her like an open book. Despite everything we knew, she was worried. But Bella always worried about the wrong things.

It was hard for Edward too, but he was used to bizarre things happening. I suspected that he had to work hard to convince Bella that Renesmee would be fine, but most of the time things were okay.

I wasn't the least bit upset. Having gone through some serious growth spurts myself (I had aged about eight years in the space of a few months), I knew Renesmee would be perfectly fine.

She absorbed things like a sponge, and never forgot. It wasn't normal, but Nessie was not capable of being normal. She was strong and smart and beautiful. She had the uncanny ability to make people like her, and generally liked everyone she met.

I spent most of my time with her. It was acknowledged without actual words, that she was closer to me than to anyone; except Edward and Bella. Whether it was hunting, schooling (Carlisle eventually home-schooled me with her, as she couldn't go to a normal school and I refused to) or just relaxing; we did it together.

If I tried, I couldn't explain how the imprinting had bonded me to her. She was the first thing I thought about in the morning and the last thing I thought about at night. Even my dreams weren't free of Renesmee. Every minute I spent without her, I thought about her. Renesmee was my world, my sun, my air.

Just as Bella would say, those years – the years spent watching Renesmee grow up – were happily spent. There were no problems, no major fights (except with Rosalie, but who could blame me?), and no worries.

Well, almost.

That's the problem with life. It can't be a fairy tale. Things cannot stay perfect for long. There is always a catch.

You can probably guess what the glitch in my 'happily ever after' was. The imprinting.

Because despite everything that had happened between Bella and me, she wasn't happy with the idea of her best friend being totally dependant on her daughter.

It was a promise – more like a deal, really – that I made with Edward and Bella. Telling Nessie about the imprinting was something I had really wanted to talk about as soon as Bella became a vampire, but the complications with the Volturi had put my plans on hold. By the time they had left and things had started to settle down, I knew I would have to say something soon.

I pulled Edward aside one night after Bella had gone home with Renesmee to put her to bed. I figured it would be easier to talk it through with him first. I thought he would be harder to convince, being sure that Bella would side with me.

'Edward, do you mind…?' I trailed off, knowing that he would read everything in my head – Bella was probably still within earshot.

Edward frowned.

We were in one of the front rooms at Carlisle's house. In one smooth motion he was next to me, sitting straight-backed on the couch where I slouched.

'Jacob,' he said slowly. He was being careful. 'This isn't the time. She's still young.' He stopped at the look on my face, my expression furious enough that he didn't have to read my thoughts to know what I was thinking.

But I had been expecting this, anyway.

_This isn't about her age! You know I don't think of her like that. But she needs to know – you can't keep her in the dark forever. She'll figure it out anyway._

'Yes, I know.' Edward sighed softly. 'And I'm sorry. I _do_ know how you feel. But right now she's too young. Even at the rate that she's growing,' he added as I was about to interrupt. 'She's still only a child – emotionally. You have to wait until she's old enough to understand all facets of the imprinting. _All of them._' He looked at me meaningfully. I shut my mouth, for once unable to argue.

As much as I hated to admit it, I understood that even if I ran over to the cottage right then and told Renesmee everything about the imprinting, she wouldn't be able to grasp the full meaning of it – I mean, the part about me being anything she wanted me to be whether it was brother, friend or….something more.

Nessie grew quickly, but she was still a baby. It would be a while before she would comprehend the full meaning behind the imprinting. But would that matter?

'It matters to us,' Edward murmured softly. 'It matters to Bella and myself.'

'So you've talked about it then?' I was a little surprised. 'You've already decided behind my back?' My hands were beginning to shake.

I was starting to get angry; frustrated that nothing was working out the way I wanted. Frustrated that I hadn't seen that flaw in my plans. I stood up, glaring at him.

Edward stared back, unfazed. 'Nothing has been decided, Jake. We haven't discussed this. But we will.'

'Discuss what?'

I whipped around to find Bella in the doorway, hands on hips and eyes narrowed. I swear she was becoming more and more like Rosalie every day. Edward appeared silently by her side and hugged her.

I was too pissed off for subtleties. 'When I can tell Renesmee about the imprint.'

But if I thought that Bella would side with me against Edward, I had a big shock heading my way.

Bella looked surprised for a moment, but then her face smoothed over.

'Tell Nessie about the imprint?' She repeated, looking at Edward; 'Jake, I don't want you to tell her. Ever.'

I had not expected this. The room endured a full five seconds of silence while I stared at Bella, not comprehending.

I couldn't find a way to open my mouth and talk. I was too shocked at her betrayal.

'Bella?!' Edward exclaimed, and there was disbelief written across his face.

Bella ignored him and walked forward. She reached out and grabbed my hand, and I flinched at the coldness. She peered up into my face anxiously.

'Jacob, _please_ don't take it the wrong way! You're my best friend but I can't let Renesmee know this.'

Edward moved forward, quietly. 'Why?'

Bella looked back and forth between us .

'I want Renesmee to have a normal life,' she explained. 'Well, as normal as possible,' she added hastily, seeing the look on Edward's face. 'But if she knew about the imprinting…' She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. '_Please_. She's my daughter, Jake.' She looked pleadingly at me.

I couldn't take it.

'I–,' and choked on my words. My hands were clenched tightly, shaking so badly that I didn't know how long I could keep from phasing. Suddenly, I couldn't take it. Running out of the room, I phased before I reached the front door, my pants shredding like confetti.

Ten minutes later, I had calmed down enough for Edward to come outside and meet me as a human again. He wasn't stupid. He made sure Bella didn't come.

'How are you feeling?'

He held out a pair of pants in his hands. I took them and shook my head. He got straight to the point.

'I've managed to talk to her,' he said, 'And convinced her that you should tell Renesmee about the imprint.'

My eyes narrowed. I knew there would be a catch to this.

_But?_

'But you can't tell her yet,' Edward finished lamely.

I was beginning to lose my patience. I'd had enough tonight.

He gave me an icy stare.

'You can tell Renesmee after her seventh birthday.' His voice was flat. 'She'll be fully grown by then, or so Nahuel says. She'll understand then.'

He waited for me to speak.

I stood there in the dark with light from the Cullen's mansion shining down onto the grass, and thought about it. I could wait six years. But was it right to lie to Renesmee? The idea made me sick to my stomach.

'It's not a lie, Jacob' Edward murmured. 'It's just not the whole truth. That's the best I can get you.' He sounded sorry.

That all happened about six years ago.

Like a good boy, I did what I was told and never told Nessie about my imprint.

There were some moments where Nessie would prod me for information, especially about the strong relationships that the pack had. But I avoided her questions and changed the subject. The rest of the pack obviously already knew that they weren't to mention imprinting under any circumstances around her and had no qualms about lying to her directly about it.

But Nessie wasn't stupid. She wasn't fooled one little bit. I knew it was only a matter of time before she would demand some answers. I was dying to tell her. It was agony to keep something so important from her But Bella was still my best friend and Edward had cut me a deal. I didn't want things to be a mess. And so I waited.

Suddenly, it was only a few weeks until Nessie's seventh birthday. I spent my nights lying awake, trying to plan the moment. How would I explain? How would she react?

But just as things seemed to be working out, my plans unravelled.

It was two weeks before the birthday party when I found out that the Cullens wanted to leave Forks for good.


	2. Part One: Chapter 2

A/N: Hey readers! I've got up the next chappie ^_^ This is still in Jacob's POV. Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated.

**Chapter Two: How does that saying go? You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. You have **_**no**_** idea…**

The Cullens were an odd bunch. A bit of a fruit salad.

Aside from Renesmee, Bella was first on my list…usually. Apart from the fact that she wasn't letting me tell Nessie about the imprint, we were close.

Edward was a harder guy to get around. In a lot of ways it was a love-hate relationship. Sometimes we got along and sometimes we didn't. Generally speaking, this revolved around whether or not Bella and I were fighting over something. But I was seriously starting to like Edward, and I think all protectiveness aside, he was starting to like me too.

Then there were the rest of the Cullens. If they had been a pack, Carlisle would have been the Alpha male for sure. The doctor was a nice guy. He saved lives and didn't enjoy hurting people. Aside from Nessie, he helped me to keep my focus and calm, although I hardly ever lost my temper. Esme, his wife, was a lot like him. Kind and generous, she was always thinking about others.

Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for the next couple down the list. Rosalie and Emmett. Ugh. What a rotten bunch of bananas they were. Actually, Emmett wasn't too bad. We both liked a good fight.

Rosalie on the other hand, was something else altogether. Rude, vain and selfish, I smelled a rat somewhere along the lines with her and she could feel me guessing. Needless to say, it was hate at first sight. On the plus side, at least the dumb blonde jokes were still getting her pissed off.

The last of the Cullens weren't nearly as bad. Alice and Jasper. To tell the truth, I'd never had much to do with either of them. Jasper was quiet and mostly kept to Alice. We got along well, but I usually kept my distance from them because I knew Alice got frustrated when my presence stopped her from 'seeing', as she called it.

But for nearly six years, there hadn't been anything interesting to see.

Then one day – about two weeks from Nessie's party – I walked into the Cullen's kitchen hoping that Seth hadn't eaten everything in the gigantic fridge they kept stocked with food for us, and found the family standing silently around the room.

We didn't know it, but that was a turning point.

Someone with half a brain cell could have guessed that something was wrong. There hadn't been this kind of tension since the Volturi had planned a surprise visit all those years ago.

Edward appeared to be having one of his silent conversations with Carlisle. Alice was staring unhappily at the floor while Jasper whispered in her ear. Esme and Bella were sitting at the table silently.

I immediately went over to Renesmee, who was frowning in the corner.

'What's going on? What's happened.' I glanced around the room once more before looking at her.

Renesmee swished back her long red-brown curls that hung down her back, and pursed her lips. She grabbed my hand and had to lean back to look up at my face.

Then she glared across at Alice.

'I don't know. Nobody's telling me what's going on.' She folded her arms like a sulky teenager, which surprised me. Nessie might have looked like a seventeen year old, but hardly ever acted like it.

I threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her a half-hug. For some reason, this caused me to glance at Bella, but she hadn't noticed. I dropped my arm to my side.

'Bella? What's happened?'

Bella frowned at me, and sighed. 'It's Rose.'

I noticed suddenly that neither Rosalie nor Emmett were in the room.

'What about her?' I thought that whatever this was about, if it had anything to do with Rosalie it wouldn't be pretty. I also wondered whether this had anything to do with me.

Alice turned to me. 'I saw her leaving.'

'Leaving? _What?_ Why?' This wasn't what I had expected.

Alice hesitated. 'Apparently she doesn't want to stay in Forks anymore.'

'Because of me, I suppose,' I said casually. Renesmee tightened her grip on my hand.

Alice nodded slowly. 'Well, yes that it part of the reason. Mostly she seems to be bored here, but she definitely doesn't want you coming with us.'

'But Jake has to come with us!' Renesmee cried, looking hard at me. My arm went automatically back around her.

'Nessie, you're not going anywhere without me!' I growled mockingly. No one else seemed to find this amusing.

'So is that it?' Jasper spoke suddenly. 'Are we just going to pick up and leave Forks?'

'Well, we certainly can't stay here for much longer,' Carlisle said. He looked at Bella as he spoke. 'We're already pushing the limits now. I'm supposed to be in my mid-thirties by now and the botox rumours can only last for so long,' he joked.

'But what about Charlie?' Bella whispered from her chair.

Carlisle didn't seem to know what to say. Edward spoke up. 'We can visit him as often as you want, love. He's got Sue and Billy.' He nodded to me.

Bella nodded slowly. It was obvious that they had talked about this before.

I checked Renesmee. She was looking worried, but didn't argue. I hated to see her frown but couldn't think of any way to cheer her up. I changed the subject.

'So where is Rosalie? If we're all agreeing that it's time for a move then what's she chucking a wobbly over?'

'She doesn't want you to come with us, remember?' Bella said.

Oh. Right. I didn't say anything. Edward and I shared a look.

Silence, and then–

'But, oh! This ruins _everything_!' Alice cried, jumping up and down in fury. 'I spent _ages_ planning this little holiday, absolutely _ages_. And now Rose has to go and spoil it all!'

Jasper tried to soothe her. 'Alice, calm down. We'll fix all this. Relax. Our holiday is still going to work.' She sat down.

'Holiday?' I repeated, perplexed.

'Alice and Jasper are taking a vacation. Something like a trip around the world,' Carlisle explained. 'They're leaving just before Renesmee's birthday.'

'We were going to stay. I mean, I'll still be here to get everything ready for the party, of course,' Alice said. She seemed desperate to explain it to me. I imagined there should be tears in her eyes. 'But seeing as I can't see you _or_ Nessie in my head I figured there wouldn't be any point in staying.'

I shook my head in disbelief while Renesmee nodded an understanding. I just couldn't believe that Alice was taking _another_ vacation. She and Jasper had barely recovered from a three month trip to New Zealand.

'She's coming,' Alice said softly.

Edward appeared at my side in an instant and grabbed Nessie's hand. 'Come on, Nessie.' He gently tugged her towards the door.

Renesmee was confused. 'What? Where are we going?'

'Home,' Edward replied. His tone was stern. They were gone before I could blink an eye.

We all stood and waited. Rosalie walked through the door and met our gazes. She looked surprised, but I wasn't fooled. Blondie was a very good actress.

'What's going on?' She asked, turning to each of us.

Bella looked at me. 'Jacob, go.'

I frowned. 'Sorry Bella, I'm not your pet dog. I'm staying.'

'Jacob Black! Leave this room!'

'Nope. This is about me. For once, I'm the centre of attention.' I grinned. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

Bella could see she wasn't going to win and turned away from me at once, frowning at Rosalie.

'You're not happy here,' she said flatly. It wasn't a question.

Rosalie looked at her without speaking, then she sighed and scraped back a chair.

'No Bella, I'm not happy here.' She sat down. 'I'm not happy at all.' The room was silent as everyone waited.

'I'm _bored_, Bella,' she cried suddenly. 'I'm bored with Forks. I'm sick of being in a small town! I want us to get up and leave this place for good!'

Edward walked back in. 'Rose, that point has already been discussed. We concede that the move is necessary.'

Rosalie looked surprised again, but this time it was genuine. 'So what's the problem then?'

Edward seemed reluctant to go on. 'Well…we've never had to move with a pack of werewolves before.'

Rosalie scoffed. 'What are you talking about Edward? You're not suggesting that they _come_ with us?' Her words were greeted by another round of silence. If they hadn't been vampires, everyone would have been squirming uncomfortably.

I stood up straight, towering over her. 'Nessie needs me. Anywhere she goes, I go.'

Blondie's eyes narrowed. 'You are _not_ coming! How _dare_ you! You aren't a part of this family!'

I bristled with anger. Rosalie hissed at me from across the room.

I tensed to leap. There was nothing I wanted more than to sink my teeth into her, to tear at her cold skin. But a millisecond before I could phase, Carlisle stepped between us.

'Rose,' he started, one hand pushed out to each of us. Blondie growled softly.

'Rosalie, this isn't the time. We have to discuss this together. As a family.' He emphasized on "family".

It was times like this that I really envied Carlisle's ability to stay calm.

I thought that might have been the end of it then. But a hiss came from the corner. Edward was crouched towards Rosalie, eyes narrowed.

What had he heard in her thoughts?

I took a step forward as Edward snarled. 'Not everything is about you Rosalie!'

Bella and Carlisle turned to the blonde vampire.

Rosalie stood frozen, looking mutinous.

I could feel Jasper trying to keep the atmosphere positive. It wasn't working.

'Please, let's not argue about this,' Carlisle said sternly.

But no one was listening. Bella and Rosalie stood face to face, glaring at each other while the others watched nervously. Alice's eyes were huge.

Suddenly, Bella grabbed Rosalie by the arm and swiftly yanked her out the door. They were outside the house before I could even turn my head. The rest of us froze, waiting to hear what they would say.

'I'm not just thinking about myself, Bella! I'm thinking about what's best for all of us!' Rosalie was yelling.

'Why can't you do this? _Please_. If not for me, then for Renesmee. Please, Rosalie.' Bella sounded like she was choking.

'No,' Rosalie said bluntly.

A pause.

Someone started to sob.

Edward didn't waste another second. He was out of the room and holding Bella in an instant. There was no reply from Rose.

'Oh no,' Alice moaned. 'This wasn't supposed to happen!'

She clutched at Carlisle as he made an attempt to leave the room, 'No! Carlisle, there's no point. She's already made up her mind.'

She turned to stare out of the window. 'It's too late. Rosalie's gone. She's not coming back.'


	3. Part One: Chapter 3

**A/N: please read and review!**

**Chapter Three: Everything comes at a price**

The day was turning out to be a good one. After Rosalie had left, Emmett soon followed; and Alice sat brooding at the kitchen table whilst everyone impersonated statues around the room.

But as much as I wanted to kick my heels back, relax and take a nap; it somehow didn't seem appropriate with Bella and Esme in tears.

Of course, they weren't really crying – vampires don't have tears – but they were upset enough. Actually, it looked like Esme might be dying from grief.

Nessie was back, having heard the news. She stood quietly against the wall, looking at Bella. Her eyes creased with worry.

The thing about imprinting is that it forms a permanent emotional attachment, so that even though I could have celebrated, I couldn't bear to see Nessie so upset.

I clasped her hands and without speaking, she raised them to touch my forehead. Instantly I saw pictures form in my thoughts: Bella and Rosalie. Fighting.

I sighed. Of course she would blame herself. 'There was nothing you could have done to stop it, Nessie. Alice had already seen it. It's not your fault.'

I looked for confirmation from Edward. He was caught in another telepathic conversation – this time with Jasper. Esme and Carlisle were staring silently out of the window, holding hands; Alice and Bella were sitting down at the table with their heads resting on each other's shoulder. The room was beginning to take on all the cheer of a funeral parlour.

'Okay, so Rosalie's left,' I started. Bella looked up. 'But it's not the end of the world,' I said.

Esme turned around slowly to face me. The pain that showed on her face cut me up inside.

'She's gone, Jacob,' Esme whispered. 'She's left us.' Nobody moved.

'But you know what Rose is like,' I persisted desperately. 'She's just gone off to have a sook for a few days; but she'll come back.'

Alice looked up at me suddenly, her eyes wide.

'You know, Jacob? I think you're right,' she said.

'You'd be surprised how often that happens.'

'Did you see Rose change her mind?' Carlisle said. Everyone looked at Alice.

'No,' she hesitated. 'She's on her way to South America with Emmett. She's determined to get as far away from here as possible.' Alice bit her lip.

'But will she come back?'

'I don't know. You know how Rose gets set on an idea. Nothing can change her mind. But still…Jacob is right about her. I'm sure she'll come back.'

Bella stood up. 'I'm sorry. This is all my fault.'

I was beginning to get annoyed. Vampires could be so melodramatic.

'How is this _your_ fault?' I asked. 'If anything, it's my fault because that's what Rosalie's upset about, isn't it? Me coming with you guys when you move? By the way, how are you going to manage that?'

Carlisle turned to me. 'Edward, Bella and Nessie will stay here at the cottage for a while, until everything with Charlie is sorted out,' he explained. 'Alice and Jasper will go on their holiday, and Esme and I can stay a while with Tanya's family. It will buy us a few months – maybe even a year. It's just until we can organise a new location.'

'When does this happen?' Jasper asked.

'After Nessie's birthday, we'll have to split up.' Carlisle turned back to the window. 'It'll be the first time our family has separated like this,' he said softly.

'But it's only for a few months,' Edward reminded him. 'Then we'll all come together again.' Silence and doubt filled the room. Renesmee bit her lip, but nodded. I sighed. This was _not_ going to be easy.

'After Nessie's birthday,' Esme whispered.

'It'll be alright.'

Alice grabbed Bella's hand. 'You should call Charlie. Let him know what's happening.'

'Yeah, I know,' she sighed. Edward reached out for her other hand and in a flash, the three left the room. Jasper stood up and followed them, and then Carlisle and Esme vanished too. In a matter of seconds, Nessie and I were the only two people left standing in the kitchen.

I looked over her carefully. 'You okay?' I asked softly.

She put her hand back on my forehead. Sometimes Nessie just doesn't want to speak.

Instantly, images of the Cullens swamped my head again. Rosalie was a predominant figure.

'Relax, Nessie,' I murmured. 'Rose is just upset. She'll be back before your birthday. And don't worry about anything that happens after that – we'll all be together again soon enough.' I tried to sound cheerful and confident.

Renesmee shook her head. Her large chocolate brown eyes were filled with worry. I sighed again. 'Nessie, you have to trust me on this one.'

'I do trust you,' she said softly.

'So will you quit worrying and start looking forward to your birthday?' I grinned at her. There was no way she could resist that.

Sure enough, a smile crept up on her face. 'Only if you promise me one thing, Jake.'

_Uh-oh_. Where was she going with this? Imprint or not, Nessie _knew_ that any promise I made I would keep.

'Ummm,' I pretended to think, while she waited patiently. 'Okay,' I said finally, mock sighing. 'What is it?'

She reached up to place her hand on my face again. I saw images – memories – of us together. Just me and her. Hunting. Sitting and talking. Running around together. Hugging. Laughing.

I looked down at her, mouth open.

'Promise me that you won't go.' Her smile had vanished, replaced with a serious expression.

I frowned at her. 'Nessie,' I began, 'I am _never_ going to go anywhere you don't want me to go. _Ever_. This is the biggest promise I can make to you. I _will_ be here as long as you want me to.' Suddenly I couldn't contain myself. Without think, I grabbed her in a bear hug, squeezing her so tight that I'd have crushed her if she wasn't so unbreakable. She hugged me back just as tightly.

There were no more words to be said. We just stood there, holding each other. We didn't let go.


	4. Part One: Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading! I'll be updating regularly now :)**

EDWARD

**Chapter Four: Dogs and Daughters**

Sometimes I couldn't help but want to kill Rosalie for all the problems she caused us.

Like when we stood around the kitchen after she ran off. All because she didn't want Jacob coming with us after having spent six years living together. It was a dispute only someone as shallow as Rosalie could make.

Bella went to phone Charlie. I held her hand as she clutched the phone to her ear, whispering into the mouth piece. Charlie was good about the news, as I knew he would be.

'Well Bells, I can't say I'm surprised,' his voice was clearly audible. 'You can't stay here forever. You have to move on. In fact, your mother and I were starting to get a bit worried about you being here for so long. It's time for Renesmee to see more of the world.'

We didn't mention that Nessie had been to South America and Canada more times than she had had birthdays.

And speaking of birthdays…

Renesmee was turning seven. It should have been a happy occasion, but emotions were running high with everyone.

I knew Alice was now worried that Rosalie's disappearance would destroy her plans, but the knowledge seemed to drive her on rather than disappoint her. She seemed to think that the grandeur of the party itself would determine whether Rosalie showed her sorry face, and nothing anyone said seemed to make a difference.

Jacob was also in emotional limbo. The birthday marked the moment of truth for him, and he spent hours trying to come up with a way to tell Nessie about the imprint. He had no success – every idea he had, he turned down instantly. I felt sorry for him, but knew he'd hate me for trying to help. This was his moment.

Bella, however, didn't seem to be feeling the same. For days I felt there was something deeply amiss with her. While Nessie was out with Jacob and Seth, I brought up the subject.

'Are you worried?' We were sitting on the edge of our bed in our cottage, watching the sun set.

'About what?' She turned to me.

'The party.'

'No. I believed you when you told me Rose would be back.'

'But what about after the party?'

'Edward,' she leaned over to me. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Jacob telling Nessie. After the party.'

'Oh.'

'Yes?'

She stood up, turning away from me. 'I don't know.'

I stood up too, and put my arms around her. 'Do you not want him to tell her? Would you rather it was us?' I nuzzled her neck.

She didn't respond. A bad sign. '_I_ think it's best that he tells her,' I continued softly.

She turned, her face inches from mine. 'I don't think,' she began slowly, 'I don't think I want her to know at all.'

I sighed. I had been afraid she would say this. 'Still?'

'Yes! Edward, why does she have to know?'

'Why _don't_ you want her to know?' I asked.

She avoided the question. 'Nessie and Jacob are perfectly fine now. Telling her about the imprint could ruin everything we've built!'

'But not telling her is actually killing Jacob, or haven't you noticed?'

It was a tactless question. She crumpled instantly. I pulled her onto my lap. 'I'm sorry, love. I just meant that Jacob really needs to do this. It's been seven years. Don't you think it's time? Besides, she'll hate us if we don't tell her. She knows something is up.'

'Hmmmm.' She didn't look happy but I felt I'd won this round.

But there was still the unknown reason why she didn't want Nessie to know. Why was she keeping it from me? I was hurt, but knew better than to let it show. Bella had kept things from me before and it had been for a good reason. With just a week until the party, I decided she would tell me sooner or later.

I kissed her softly on the neck, and the conversation ended.

As for everyone else, Rosalie's tantrum had not done much. They mostly went on with their daily activities in the same way they always had. Esme was quieter than usual – she was particularly close to Emmett – but we were all fairly certain that they would be back before the party.

As the big day drew closer, Bella became more and more withdrawn. It began to affect us all, until we were all walking around – not talking, not smiling; except when Renesmee was around. It was as if someone had died. Only Alice remained cheerful; almost unnervingly so.

However, I only became suspicious the night before the party. I had gone out hunting, and Bella must have seized her opportunity because Alice caught her and Nessie in Carlisle's office, practically bumping into them as she ran in search for some last minute party supplies. She had been so frantic she hadn't heard them in there.

'Oh, sorry Bella! Nessie!' she said, gushing. Then she stopped because she noticed that neither of them was smiling. Something was obviously wrong. Bella mumbled some excuse (even as a vampire she has always been a terrible liar), and left the room. Whatever it was that Bella had wanted to speak to Nessie about, no one seemed to know.

'She was acting strange, Dad,' Nessie said later that evening. 'She told me she had something important to tell me, but then she wouldn't say what it was about. Daddy, please tell me what's going on,' she pleaded. 'First Aunty Rose and now Mom. Even Jacob is acting strangely. I'm worried. I feel like everything is happening because of me.'

It was the first time in six years that Bella had kept secrets from me, and I was worried too.

I hugged Nessie tightly. 'Your mother is just worried about Aunty Rose,' I said. 'There's nothing wrong.' I looked over her shoulder so she wouldn't catch my lies written across my face. 'There's absolutely nothing wrong.'

**Review, if you like...or if you don't!**


End file.
